Hi. My friend has a turtle with shell rot. I’m not familiar with turtles so if y’all have any advice its much appreciated.
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Not a turtle expert at all.
With few exceptions, turtles need to dry out when basking. This limits any bacterial or fungal growth as they, pathogens, need moisture to survive. Make sure the basking area is sufficiently large and high enough to allow the animals to dry out completely.
UV is very important as it helps the animals skin metabolize vit D3 which in turn allows the animals body to utilize dietary calcium. It also limits the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Check that your lights are still putting out proper amounts.
Cleanliness is of utmost importance in a captive situation because in a small environment waste can build up to toxic levels very fast which provides bacteria/fungi ideal conditions to reproduce and spread.
As for treatment the best advice would be to seek out a vet.
At home, make sure the animal dries out on a regular basis. A betadine soak will probably help if the infection isn’t too advanced. If the infection has progressed to a point where drying and cleaning don’t reverse it, vet.
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Thank you. I asked the friend for more pictures and got this. It also looks the the turtle needs its nails trimmed too
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Long front nails indicate that the animal is male. They are used during amplexus.( grasping the female).Do not trim them.
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Thank you for your help
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I second this suggestion wholeheartedly. Your friend should make a vet appointment as soon as possible. Too much moisture for a turtle is just as bad as not enough. I’m not a turtle expert either but the husbandry is definitely off in this case.
Edit to add: is the first picture part of pictures 2 and 3?
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Sorry the first picture is a different picture entirely. If i am being honest. This lady came on NextDoor asking for advice. I know you all are not as judgemental and are pretty helpful when it comes to stuff like this.
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How long have they owned this turtle?
Some of it looks like regular scute shedding, not rot.
Does it have soft spots or fungus on the shell anywhere? Are the getting a calcium supplement like a cuttlebone?
Definitely would recommend a vet visit. I wouldn’t try to dry out this little one without knowing for sure. Shell rot is best treated with a cream and keeping the turtle dry with short supervised swims.
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